GREG Peterson, the United States lock who will play for Glasgow after the Rugby World Cup, believes his team still have a fighting chance in Pool B despite losing their first game to Samoa. The second-row forward will be up against some of his new club-mates on Sunday if selected to play against Scotland, and thinks it is crucial that his team show more discipline than they did in their 25-16 defeat in Brighton last weekend.
“Penalties killed us against Samoa,” the Sydney-born forward said. “I'm not sure what the penalty count was, but it must have been at least 15-plus. That killed us. Samoa were able to pin us down in our own 22 and get easy points.
“They never really built pressure on us. If we are able to control discipline and our penalty count, then we will be much better.”
The US appear to be the weakest team in the pool, but Peterson thinks his squad can take inspiration from Japan’s extraordinary win over South Africa last Saturday. “It’s wide open now,” he said. “It’s exciting.
“When I looked at it before, I knew that all the matches would be tough, but they are all very much winnable. Japan beating South Africa shows that any team can win on any day. You don't underestimate any team you come up against.”
Peterson spent a week training with Glasgow before joining up with the American squad just before the World Cup, but the Warriors’ Scotland contingent were all away with the national squad. He believes it will be a strange sensation to play against team-mates he is meeting for the first time. .
“It will be a bit weird as they will be team-mates. I didn't meet any of the Scottish representatives when I was up there, but I heard a lot about them. Maybe there will be a few awkward hugs and handshakes after the game.”
Peterson, who has left Leicester Tigers and signed a two-year deal with the PRO12 champions, decided it was important to meet head coach Gregor Townsend and the players before leaving for the World Cup. “I had been in touch with the coach and I wanted to get in and meet the team,” he said. “Joining a new team part of the way into a season is tough, so I wanted to meet as many of the players as I could to establish the bond straightaway.
“Gregor pretty much sat me down and told me the Warriors are a hard-working team and said he thought I fitted the bill for the team. I haven't had many opportunities in the past couple of years so I thank him for giving me a chance and I hope it pays off in spades. After the World Cup I’ll pretty much be going straight to Glasgow.”
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